Lyons William L
Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986155 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6155, USA.
Clin Geriatr Med. 2016 May;32(2):347-58. doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2016.01.007. Epub 2016 Feb 18.
Older patients undergo more inpatient and outpatient procedures than do younger individuals, and their risk of suffering undesired outcomes is greater. The performance of a productive preoperative assessment entails more than the application of the sundry clinical practice guidelines relating to a patient's various medical diagnoses. A better approach involves adoption of a physiologically integrated, whole-person assessment that takes into account the patient's cognitive function, mood, physical function and mobility (including the possibility of frailty), social support, nutritional status, and medication use. This article outlines such an approach and highlights the many gaps in the current evidence base.
